Table 3.
Factors influencing referral to a specialist among the 153 patients seen for a proctological problem.
| Univariate analysis Referral to a specialist n (%) | P-valuea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (n = 92) | No (n = 61) | ||
| Bleeding | 32 (65.3) | 17 (34.7) | 0.4 |
| Pain | 29 (61.7) | 18 (38.3) | 0.9 |
| Anal lump | 17 (51.5) | 1 (48.5) | 0.3 |
| Anal discharge | 19 (86.4) | 3 (13.6) | 0.01 |
| Uncontrolled anal leakage | 19 (86.4) | 3 (13.6) | 0.01 |
| Constipation | 27 (52.9) | 24 (47.1) | 0.2 |
| Diarrhoea | 10 (83.3) | 2 (1.7) | 0.1 |
| Pruritus ani | 21 (61.8) | 13 (38.2) | 1.0 |
| Haemorrhoids | 43 (58.1) | 31 (41.9) | 0.7 |
| Anal fissure | 9 (64.3) | 5 (35.7) | 1.0 |
| Abscess and/or anal fistula | 2 (100.0) | 0 (0) | 0.5 |
| Dermatology disorder | 4 (36.4) | 7 (63.6) | 0.1 |
| Functional disorder | 32 (64.0) | 18 (36.0) | 0.6 |
| Tumour | – | – | – |
| Anorectal STI | – | – | – |
| Questioning | 85 (59.0) | 59 (41.0) | 0.3 |
| Examination of anal margin | 55 (60.4) | 36 (39.6) | 1.0 |
| Rectal examination | 35 (71.4) | 14 (28.6) | 0.05 |
| Anoscopy | 0 (0) | 3 (100.0) | 0.06 |
| Other clinical examination | 5 (83.3) | 1 (16.7) | 0.4 |
aFisher's Exact test.